1. Five days later Ananias, the high priest, arrived with some of the Jewish elders and the lawyer Tertullus, to present their case against Paul to the governor.
2. When Paul was called in, Tertullus presented the charges against Paul in the following address to the governor:“You have provided a long period of peace for us Jews and with foresight have enacted reforms for us.
3. For all of this, Your Excellency, we are very grateful to you.
4. But I don’t want to bore you, so please give me your attention for only a moment.
5. We have found this man to be a troublemaker who is constantly stirring up riots among the Jews all over the world. He is a ringleader of the cult known as the Nazarenes.
6. Furthermore, he was trying to desecrate the Temple when we arrested him.
8. You can find out the truth of our accusations by examining him yourself.”
9. Then the other Jews chimed in, declaring that everything Tertullus said was true.
10. The governor then motioned for Paul to speak. Paul said, “I know, sir, that you have been a judge of Jewish affairs for many years, so I gladly present my defense before you.
11. You can quickly discover that I arrived in Jerusalem no more than twelve days ago to worship at the Temple.
12. My accusers never found me arguing with anyone in the Temple, nor stirring up a riot in any synagogue or on the streets of the city.
13. These men cannot prove the things they accuse me of doing.